Julius Miller (January 12, 1880 – February 3, 1955) was a judge and politician in New York City. He was a public figue for fuur decades, seving as

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

Borough President from 1922 to 1930, and as a New York State Supreme Court judge from 1933 to 1950. He who is best remembered for pushing through the

West Side Elevated Highway The West Side Elevated Highway (West Side Highway or Miller Highway, named for Julius Miller, Manhattan borough president from 1922 to 1930) was an elevated section of New York State Route 9A (NY 9A) running along the Hudson River in the New ...

from 72nd Street to the tip of Manhattan.

Life

Miller was Jewish. He graduated from

New York Law School New York Law School (NYLS) is a private law school in Tribeca, New York City. NYLS has a full-time day program and a part-time evening program. NYLS's faculty includes 54 full-time and 59 adjunct professors. Notable faculty members include E ...

and became an attorney in 1901. Miller was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(17th D.) in

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

and

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

. He was borough president of

from 1922 to 1930. In 1924 he was an alternate delegate to the

1924 Democratic National Convention The 1924 Democratic National Convention, held at the Madison Square Garden in New York City from June 24 to July 9, 1924, was the longest continuously running convention in United States political history. It took a record 103 ballots to nominate ...

. In 1933 he became a justice of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...

(1st D.), and served until 1950. As Borough President, he promoted the construction of the

Park Avenue Viaduct The Park Avenue Viaduct, also known as the Pershing Square Viaduct, is a roadway in Manhattan in New York City. It carries vehicular traffic on Park Avenue from 40th to 46th Streets around Grand Central Terminal and the MetLife Building, th ...

through the

New York Central Building The Helmsley Building is a 35-story skyscraper at 230 Park Avenue between East 45th and 46th Streets in New York City, just north of Grand Central Terminal, in Midtown Manhattan. It was built in 1929 as the New York Central Building and was d ...

and around

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...

, the establishment of the center strip on

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...

, and the replacing of the Sixth Avenue elevated train. As a judge Miller claimed the distinction of never having been reversed by an appellate court on any of the cases in equity where he decided suits without a jury. This was believed to be unique among New York jurists. Upon retirement, he was replaced by Justice Samuel Gold. In 1930, Miller received

The Hundred Year Association of New York The Hundred Year Association of New York, founded in 1927, is a non-profit organization in New York City that recognizes and rewards dedication and service to the City of New York by businesses and organizations that have been in operation in the ...

's Gold Medal Award "in recognition of outstanding contributions to the City of New York." Miller had a summer home in Far Rockaway, which later was ncorporated into the campuses of two Orthodox Jewish schools, the Hebrew Institute of Long Island (predecessor of HAFTR) and Yeshiva Darchei Torah. The New York Daily News listed him as deceased three years before his death. Miller retired in 1950, and died at his home in New York City on February 3, 1955.Long Island Newsday
Newsday Obits February 1955
Obituary, Julius Miller, transcribed by Terasa Ahlgren His funeral was atteneded by over 400 people.

Legacy

New York Route 9A , the " West Side Highway," is the direct replacement for the Miller Highway ("West Side Elevated Highway") that was named after Julius Miller. Miller was instrumental in finishing the

, an elevated stretch of Manhattan's Park Avenue that carries vehicles around and through buildings that sit on the normal path of the roadbed. The Park Avenue Viaduct remains in use , and is designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

References

External links

Newsday February 4, 1955
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Julius 1880 births 1955 deaths New York Law School alumni New York (state) lawyers Manhattan borough presidents Democratic Party New York (state) state senators New York Supreme Court Justices 20th-century American judges 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers